


Paper The Walls

by Kymbersmith90



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medical, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan Fluff, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan Smut, Doctor Emma Swan, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Nurse Killian Jones, Post-it Notes, Roommates, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:48:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23658622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kymbersmith90/pseuds/Kymbersmith90
Summary: After deciding to break up with her boyfriend, Dr. Emma Swan is in desperate need of a new place to stay. Her best friend thinks she’s found the perfect solution – one of the nurses in pediatrics is looking for a new roommate. And with Emma working nights, it means she’ll barely have to see the stranger she’s moving in with.
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Comments: 44
Kudos: 109





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Forget_me_not_s](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forget_me_not_s/gifts).



> **HAPPY BIRTHDAY AINA!**
> 
> **I had planned to share something else as your gift this year but I wanted you to have something brand new and unseen to show you how much I adore you. While this is only the start of the story I have planned for you, I hope that every time this piece updates it will bring you a little joy in the darkness that's currently enveloping the world.**
> 
> **Thank you for all you're doing right now!**

“I need your help!”

“Good morning to you too, Dr. Swan,” Ruby teased, as her friend threw herself down into the seat opposite her own around a small table at the back of the room.

“I’m on hour ten of this shift and this is the first time I’ve sat down all day,” Emma warned, taking a sip from her coffee. “I really need your help right now, not your sarcasm.”

Ruby offered her friend a small smile of apology before gesturing for Emma to explain what was on her mind.

“I’m breaking things off with Walsh -”

“What? Why? I thought you guys loved each other.”

Emma shot her friend another warning look and Ruby quickly closed her mouth. “I thought we did too, but these last few months he’s been really pushing the idea of me becoming a stay-at-home, kept wife. And that’s just not me! I keep trying to explain that to him and he keeps telling me I’ll feel differently when we’re married and I’m pregnant. Last night, I was speaking to this patient’s husband. He was telling me about his wife and how well they had supported each other’s hopes and dreams throughout their marriage. How their love had grown as a result of that. It made me realize that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with a man constantly trying to change me. I want to spend it with someone who loves me for being _me_. So… I’m gonna break things off with Walsh. But before I do that, I _really_ need a place to stay. I can’t be dealing with his passive-aggressive bullshit after I finish a twelve-hour shift. _Please_ tell me you know someone who has a spare room I can rent until we can sort out what to do with the apartment?”

Ruby remained silent for a moment as she thought over Emma’s request. Normally, she would have offered her best friend the couch or the spare room in her own home, for as long as Emma needed it. But Dorothy’s mother was currently staying with them after having surgery on her hip. The apartment already felt painfully crowded with three adults and a toddler living in it, she wasn’t sure they had the room for another.

“Leave it with me,” she eventually declared. “I’m sure I can find something for you. And if it comes to it, we’ll make some room for you at Casa Del Lucas.”

“Thanks, Ruby. You’re amazing,” Emma praised, relaxing back into her seat for the first time all day. Of course, that was the moment the small pager on her left hip began beeping again. “Ugh. Typical,” she muttered, standing from her seat and pulling the device from her scrubs. “I’ve gotta get back but we’re still set for Friday night, right?”

“Absolutely. See you then.”

Emma left with a small wave over her shoulder. Ruby watched her go, leisurely sipping her own cup of tea before she headed back down to the nurses’ station in oncology – and the mountain of paperwork waiting for her attention.


	2. Chapter 1

“I think I’ve found the solution to all of your problems,” Ruby declared, as Granny quickly pushed aside her bingo tickets to make space for the tray of drinks her granddaughter was carrying.

“Really? You found me a man who isn’t a lying, cheating scumbag and doesn’t mind the long hours I work; along with an unlimited source of funds so I can finally pay off my student debt, _and_ buy myself all the pretty things Facebook keeps advertising to me; oh … and a puppy that will walk itself while I’m at work and still love me unconditionally when I’m home?”

Granny snorted out a laugh as she reached for her glass of whiskey and Ruby shot the older woman a dirty look.

“Okay, I found the solution to _one_ of your problems,” she amended, handing a drink to her friend. “Remember Belle down in Pediatrics?” Ruby waited for Emma to nod her head before she continued with her story. “Well, she was telling me today that her boyfriend has asked her to move in with him, and she was feeling a little conflicted because as much as she wants to say yes, she knows her roommate won’t be able to afford their apartment without her. So I told her that I might know someone willing to take her room. She lives within walking distance of the hospital _and_ with another nurse, so the two of you will barely see each other given the hours that you work. It’s the perfect way to solve your housing needs.”

“I dunno,” Emma mused, rolling her glass between her hands. “I’m not sure how I feel about moving in with someone I’ve never met before.”

“You did it with me in college,” Ruby pointed out. “And this other nurse works in Pediatrics, so we already know she’s passed a background check. But if the thought of an apartment within walking distance of the hospital for two-fifty a month still isn’t appealing to you, I can tell Belle to look for someone else.”

“Two-fifty a month?” Emma almost choked on her vodka and Cola. She hadn’t paid that little in rent since college! “How uh … how much do you know about Belle’s roommate?”

“I only know that she works in Pediatrics,” Ruby explained. “I’ve never met her before, but if Belle picked her for a roommate then she must be easy to live with. I mean, you’ve met Belle, right? She’s an excellent judge of character, Ems. And if it doesn’t feel right at least you’ll be away from Walsh while you look for somewhere else to live. What have you got to lose?”

“Oh, I dunno, Ruby. How about my life?”

Granny snorted into her glass and her granddaughter sent her another look of betrayal. With hindsight, Ruby could admit that bingo night probably hadn’t been the best time to bring this up with Emma. She’d just been so excited to share the news with her friend that she simply couldn’t wait until Monday morning.

“Look, why don’t I talk to Belle and set up a viewing for you?” she suggested. “That way, you can have a look around the apartment and see what you think of it. You might even get a chance to meet your potential new roommate while you’re at it.”

Emma sat in silence for a moment as she considered the proposal her friend had just made. The idea of living with a complete stranger wasn’t exactly appealing, even if she _had_ done it in college. But she also wasn’t sure how much more of Walsh’s nagging she could take. She’d just barely avoided an argument when she’d left the house that evening, and if she didn’t time her return perfectly to ensure he was asleep when she opened the front door, she knew she’d face one before the day was over.

“Okay. Arrange the viewing,” she eventually conceded.

“I’ll do it as soon as I see Belle on Sunday. You won’t regret this, Ems. I promise.”

“I already do,” Emma muttered, turning her attention towards the small stage at the front of the hall, as the shriek of the microphone rang around the space.

Thankfully, Ruby’s response was lost underneath the commotion caused by the bingo caller’s presence on stage. Emma was more than happy to offer _him_ her full attention for the rest of the night. If she was being brutally honest with herself, she knew the main reason she kept coming back to bingo night with Granny and Ruby was because of him. While she enjoyed spending time with her oldest friends, she didn’t love bingo _that_ much. But she didn’t feel too badly about that admission. A quick glance around the room showed that she wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“Ugh, I swear this place becomes more and more like the Las Vegas Strip every month. I mean, is that _really_ necessary?” Ruby snapped, as she watched a woman shuffle past them in what had to be one of the most revealing dresses she’d ever seen.

“Oh, hush your mouth,” Granny chided. “You used to dress the same way when you were younger.”

“Not for bingo night!”

“You would have if he were calling the numbers and you weren’t married to Dotty,” Granny pointed out, and Emma had to smother her chuckles behind her hand.

“I swear they only book him for the sex appeal,” Ruby continued to grumble, as she watched all of the younger women in the room adjust themselves so that, should the caller look up from his desk, his eyes would inevitably be drawn towards their cleavage.

“He’s a volunteer,” Granny argued. “And so what if he’s only kept on for his sex appeal? It’s not like anything else exciting happens in this town to set our pulses racing. Let us have _something_ to brighten our month. We might be old but that doesn’t mean we don’t still have needs.”

Ruby’s mouth worked soundlessly for a moment as she tried to process the words her grandmother had just spoken, while willing her brain to shut down the mental image it had been busy attempting to paint for her.

“Okay, that’s more than I ever needed to know,” she eventually declared, shuddering a little while she uncapped her marker and turned her attention down to her tickets.

Granny sent a cheeky wink Emma’s way and then began preparing her own markers and tickets to her exact liking.

While everyone else at the table seemed distracted with their routines, Emma raised her head just in time to catch the caller’s eyes. He sent her a small smile and a wink of his own before he turned away and announced to the room, “Good evening, Ladies. How are we all doing tonight?”

Emma could practically feel the audience melting under his British charm.


	3. Chapter 2

“Are you sure you’re not cheating?” Ruby asked, as she reached for the bottle of wine sitting on the table in front of her grandmother.

“You can’t cheat at bingo, Dear,” Granny said, snatching her newest prize back to examine it critically.

“Whatever.” Ruby sighed and folded her arms over her chest as she sank back into her seat with a pout on her painted red lips.

“I uh… I think I’m gonna run to the bathroom,” Emma declared, standing quickly from her seat. She knew that Ruby’s frustration wouldn’t last long, so she hoped that by the time she returned to their table, there would be a fresh round of drinks waiting for them, and her best friend would be wearing a smile once more.

After making use of the facilities, Emma lingered a little in front of the mirrors to examine her reflection. The dark circles under her eyes were starting to show through once more, and her skin looked dull and lifeless. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a decent night’s sleep. Between long shifts at the hospital and her arguments with Walsh, sleeping in the on-call room was beginning to seem more and more appealing by the day. Emma took a moment to touch up her makeup, giving herself an artificial glow that seemed to be lacking from her body right then, before she turned to leave the room.

“Oh, sorry,” she apologized, stepping back so that the older woman on the other side of the door could make her way through.

“Thank you, Dear.”

“No worries,” Emma told her. She made sure to hold the door until the other woman had fully cleared it before she turned and let it go, but she had only taken one step forward when she collided with something warm and firm. “Shit!” she cursed, just as a pair of hands shot out to grip her upper arms tightly.

A deep laugh rumbled around her and Emma took a few steps back to look up into _his_ face.

“Hello to you too, Emma.”

“Sorry. I uh… I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she explained, taking another step back and out of his arms.

“It’s okay. Mrs. Norris does have an _extremely_ charming smile. I can’t blame you for being a little lost when she flashes it in your direction.”

Emma chuckled as she took a final step back to lean against the wall behind her. Whenever he looked at her like that, she suddenly found that she needed all the support she could get to keep herself standing upright.

“You’re uh… you’re not wrong there,” she teased. “It’s all in the eyes.”

He laughed along with her, taking a step forward to bring them closer together. It wasn’t the first time Emma had shared a moment like this one with the handsome English bingo caller, but the quiet intensity behind his eyes had never yet failed to make her heart skip a beat.

“We um… we missed you last time,” he eventually said, after they’d both fallen silent once more.

Emma had to bite down on her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling widely at his words. She had thought the only person who would miss her at their last bingo night would have been Granny – who knew not to expect her anyway. The knowledge that someone else in the room had noticed her absence was an unexpected pleasure. Especially when it was _him_.

“I had to work. Trust me, I’d much rather have been here.”

Emma cast her mind back to the night in question. She’d been working the graveyard shift at the hospital, and as was typical for any Friday night, she’d spent most of the twelve-hour shift on her feet. If she wasn’t busy making sure her interns did the damned jobs she’d told them to do, she was in surgery, removing foreign objects from bodies or tending to deep wounds caused by drunken anarchy. Graveyard shifts on a Friday evening were always the worst when you worked in a hospital in the heart of a busy city.

“I get that,” he said, and she could tell by the haunted look that passed behind his eyes that he too had worked a graveyard shift or two in his lifetime. “It’s good to have you back with us this week - even if you aren’t having as much luck as Mrs. Lucas is.”

Emma snorted out another laugh as she flicked a glance over to where she’d been sitting earlier that evening. Her best friend wasn’t at the table, so Granny had turned her seat around to talk with some of her friends sitting just behind her.

“Ruby accused her of cheating before I left the table, but I think Granny’s right. I’m not sure you _can_ cheat at bingo.”

“Well, you could always bribe the caller,” he pointed out, moving to stand beside her so that he could lean into the wall, all while keeping his eyes locked on hers. “But for what it’s worth, Mrs. Lucas doesn’t have anything of appeal to me.”

Emma giggled again as she watched him wiggle his brows suggestively. She’d noticed that whenever he spoke with her, it was always more flirty in nature than friendly, but she couldn’t ever seem to bring herself to point out that she was seeing someone. Hopefully, the next time she saw him… she wouldn’t have to.

“So… are you _ever_ going to ask for my name?” he finally inquired, when the laughter behind her eyes had disappeared.

Emma considered the question for a moment before she straightened up and pulled away from the wall on which she’d been leaning against. “Maybe one day,” she told him, “But not right now.”

His eyes bored deep into her own for a moment and then he straightened up too. “Okay,” he said, taking a step back and away from her. “I guess I can wait a little longer.” He didn’t give Emma time to say anything else, though. Instead, he turned on his heels and strode straight towards the door that would take him into the small corridor leading up to the stage. Before he could disappear completely, he did turn back to call over his shoulder, “I look forward to that day, Emma.”

“Me too,” she mumbled to herself, as she made her way over to the table she’d been sitting at all night, just in time for Ruby to arrive with another tray of drinks.

**Author's Note:**

> **Thanks for reading.**


End file.
